Car-wheel and track therefor



(No Model.)

0. LAGHENMAIER.

GAR WHEEL AND TRACK THEREFOR. No. 593,419. Patented Nov. 9,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT O FIC CHARLES LAOHENMAIER, OF DARBY, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-WHEEL AND TRACK THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,419, dated November 9, 1897.

Application filed February 5, 1897. Serial No. 622,231. (No Model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES LACHENMAIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Darby, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-WVheels and Tracks Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in car-wheels and tracks therefor, and has for its object to provide means whereby a wheel maybe given a positive hold upon the track without depending upon traction for its power of locomotion; and a further object is to accomplish the above-named result by a detachable gear-wheel and detachable rack-bar, so that when this precaution is not needed the positive hold of the wheel upon the rail may be thrown out of action.

lVith these ends in view the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a wheel made in accordance with my improvement, the track upon which it stands being in section to illustrate the manner of attaching the detachable rack-bar to said rail; Fig. 2, an inside elevation of the wheel and track, the axle being sectioned away; and Fig. 3, a detail view illustrating the manner of adjusting the rack-bar relative to the rail.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents an ordinary car-wheel secured upon the axle B, and to the inner face of this wheel is secured a gear-wheel 0, here shown as being bolted to the car-wheel, itself having no center.

D'is a rack-bar having an offset E formed therewith, adapted to bear against the inner face of the web of the rail, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and by means of the threaded shanks F and nuts G firmly bolted thereto, and when this rack-bar is so located a groove or way H will be formed therebetween and the rail I for the free passage of the flange J of the carwheel, as will be readily understood. By this arrangement when the car-wheel is traveling upon the rail the gear-wheel C will mesh with the rack-bar D, thereby giving the wheel a positive hold upon the rail and avoiding the necessity of having to depend upon the traction between the wheel and the rail for locomotion. I

In practice the gear-wheel may be left in place upon the car-wheel,whether desired for use or not, and the rack-bar removed from said rail or replaced, as the case may be, so that when a car or locomotive is to pass up a considerable incline a continuous length of rack-bars may be arranged for the meshing of the gear-wheels, but after the incline has been ascended and a positive hold is no longer needed upon the track the rack-bars may be dispensed with, after which the car-wheels will act in the usual manner upon the rails.

In order that the rack-bars may be thrown into or out of action without being entirely removed from the rails,an openingK is formed through the web of the rail, and one wall of this opening is provided with notches L, into which the shanks or bolts F may be dropped, so that the height of the rack-bars relative to the crown of the rails may be altered as desired.

The advantages of my improvement are obviousas, for instance, for trolley-car use a series of rack-bars may be provided for grades, so that in slippery weather they may be brought into active position and the wheels of the cars thereby given a positive hold upon the rails, so as to avoid slipping, and yet when occasion for the use of the rack-bars is passed they may be thrown out of action, as before described.

Another advantage of my improvement is that when a trolley or like car is passing down a considerable incline and the rails of the track are slippery the application of the brakes to the wheels will give the motorman complete control over the movements of the car, whereas when my improvement is not used this is not the case and serious accidents often happen from the inability of the motorman to arrest the forward movement of the car down such an incline.

While I have shown the gear-wheel as bolted 1. In combination with a railway-rail, a V

rack-bar having an offset formed therewith, shanks projecting from said offset through openings in the rail, notches formed in said opening for the reception of the shanks, and

means for securing the shanks in any adjustment, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device of the character described, a wheel, a gear-wheel carried therebyin combination with a rack-bar, shanks on said rackbar and a rail having notched openings in which the shanks fit, as and for the purpose described. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LACI-IENMAIER.

Witnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMSON, F. MATTNER. 

